About Our Authors
Rev. Dr. Karin Marie Derenne
Rev. Dr. Karin Marie Derenne is the author of The Show Must Go On, a collection of essays about resilience, forthcoming 2027. Karin is a board-certified chaplain and clinical ethicist. She has served more than thirty years in hospitals, hospices, and long-term care, witnessing resilience amid life’s greatest challenges. Karin’s experience of companioning people in challenging circumstances shines through in The Show Must Go On. Karin makes her home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and is a member of the Wisconsin Writers Association. Her work has been published in multiple editions of Creative Wisconsin, and she was a 2025 Jade Ring nonfiction honorable-mention winner. She writes to inspire strength and courage within each reader.
Raquel Durden
Raquel Durden is the author of Dial Down: Holistic Strategies to Move from Chaos to Calm. Raquel is a proud hometown girl—born in Two Rivers, raised in Manitowoc, and a UW-Stevens Point alum. She is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and combat veteran, with a distinguished career. An advanced-stage cancer survivor, she credits holistic wellness for her recovery, leading her to numerous holistic certifications. Raquel is the founder of Humble Warrior Wellness & Yoga, a nonprofit supporting women veterans and first responders for almost a decade. A sought-after consultant and speaker, she inspires others to transform adversity into growth. Raquel resides in Georgia and summers in Wisconsin with her husband Dave.
Julie A. Jacob
Julie A. Jacob is the author of Bicentennial Eve: A Wisconsin Novella. Julie is a communications professional and freelance writer. She has an MFA in creative writing from Roosevelt University, and her creative nonfiction works and essays have been published in Midwest Prairie Review, On Wisconsin, Open, Under the Sun, and several editions of the TallGrass Writers Guild annual anthology. Some of her work is featured in a self-published collection of essays, Two States of Single: Essays on Love, Family, and Living Solo, available on Kindle. Bicentennial Eve is her first novel. She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her poodle and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Lisa Lehmann
Lisa Lehmann is the author of RADIO STARR. She is a former radio announcer and musician, who now channels her creative energy into photography and writing. Before hanging up her headphones, Lisa worked on air at ten radio stations, doing everything from reporting the news to copywriting and research, including stints as a morning show sidekick. Lisa lives in beautiful Wisconsin with her husband, two tiny dogs and a gigantic cat. She spends her time reading, cooking, native plant gardening and enjoying the outdoors. She studied literary writing at UW-Madison. Her first book, Lake Michigan: The Wisconsin Shore, showcases her breathtaking nature photography and was a National Indy Excellence Award Finalist. RADIO STARR is her first novel.
Emilie Lindemann
Emilie Lindemann is the author of Ghost(ed) Woman and the Electric Purple Pants. She is also the author of mother-mailbox (Misty Publications, 2016) as well as several chapbooks, including Capsule Wardrobe for the End of the World (dancing girl press, 2019). Emilie holds a PhD in English-Creative Writing from UW-Milwaukee and teaches writing and communication courses at Lakeshore College. She also serves as a poetry editor for Stoneboat Literary Journal. Emilie lives on a dairy farm in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and border collie. Her days are lined with lavender, chicory root, Queen Anne’s lace, and red clover.
The media kit for Ghost(ed) Woman & the Electric Purple Pants is available here.
Tracey Ludvik
Tracey Ludvik is the author of Phases of the Wayward Moon, a poetry book forthcoming September 2026. Originally from Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Tracey found her voice through writing poetry as a teen. An adventurous spirit and thirst for knowledge called her first to Milwaukee, where she studied at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then to the Oregon Valley, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Oregon and a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Oregon State University. Tracey has taught sociology coursework in Oregon and at Lakeshore College in Cleveland, Wisconsin. Her first poetry book, Butterfly (LitMedia, 2023), acknowledges her connection to the Ojibwe culture. Her poem Starpower was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2019. Last year, Auschwitz 2004…, took first place in Lakeland University’s annual poetry contest. Tracey reads her work regularly at Paradigm Coffee and Music.
Brittni Nelson
Brittni Nelson is the author of The House on Hemlock Hill, a middle-grade mystery forthcoming July 30, 2026. Brittni is a middle-school art teacher in Wisconsin. She and her family live in a one-hundred-year-old farmhouse that overlooks Lake Winnebago, which inspired The House on Hemlock Hill. When Brittni isn’t busy teaching or driving her children around, she loves to read, travel, and go to the theater. Brittni has illustrated and self-published two books: Grammy’s Quilts and Papa’s Cottage. She has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in teacher leadership.
Tina and Jason Prigge
Tina and Jason Prigge are the authors of Unbroken Us: A True Love Story, a memoir of love and loss and the incredible community of Manitowoc, forthcoming 2027. Born and raised on the Lakeshore, Tina and Jason are active members of the community, including as on-air personalities at WOMT radio and co-founders of Coolest Coast. Their business is Vagabond Creative Studio where they are creative storytellers.